21-year-old charged with raping teens to face court

Peter Hardwick
Reporter
Peter started in 1976 as apprentice typesetter/comp and has 32 years with The Chronicle in three stints (in between working/holidays in UK/Europe, Brisbane and Melbourne). Entered editorial from comp room in 1996.

A 21-YEAR-OLD man charged with rape arising from the alleged sexual assault of two teenage girls in Toowoomba will take the case up to the higher court.

The man, who cannot be named until committed to trial, was not in Toowoomba Magistrates Court when his matter was mentioned.

However, his solicitor Phil Stainton (Legal Aid Queensland Toowoomba office) told the court his client would be taking his case to the District Court by way of registry committal and asked for an adjournment so that could be done.

Police opened an investigation after two girls, aged 14 and 15, complained they had been raped at a Toowoomba home by two men with whom they had left a party one weekend in January.

Police claim the girls had willingly gone with the men to their Toowoomba home but claim they were then assaulted.

The accused man has not yet been required to enter any plea to the charge and remains on bail with conditions.

Magistrate Graham Lee adjourned the case so the registry committal could be completed.